Originally posted by GJC
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Some great posts here thankyou. Wonderful turns of phrase, violent chess match I will steal and sneak into my own posts in the future 
I was amused that it seems a concensus that everyone's father seems to indoctranate their son into boxing at between 7 and 9 I know mine did and I did too lol.
I suppose I should have a go at replying to my own question.
My first fight was Baksi v Freddie Mills at Harringay Arena when I was 7. It was a wonderful stadium not too far from home and I was privaliged to see some great great fighters there for the too few years it was open.
The Baksi Mills fight was a slaughter, Baksi a big HW for the time totally destroyed Mills at best a smallish LHW. But I was fascinated by the power of Baksi and the courage of Mills. It was obvious from very early that Mills had no chance but he bustled out at the start of every round into an inevitable beating. Even though he was getting the granny beaten out of him there was a dignity to Mills the fact that he can't win but will not give up and would sooner die than quit. Be carid out on his shield so to speak.
From then I was pretty much hooked
In the 60 years I have followed boxing I have only ever seen a handful of cowards. These men risk their lives and health to earn for their families and for our entertainment so I cringe when they are called cowards.
I enjoy the mutual respect fighters have for each other, they may hate each other and have had feuds that lasted years but after they have retired many only speak well of each other.
I love the history of the sport, I struggle to remember the order of Kings and Queens, Prime ministers and presidents but I can rattle off HW champions in double quick time
In tennis another one against one sport you will see a slow decline, a dominant player will start to drop a set against a player he would have blitzed the year before.
In boxing a career can be finished in minutes a dominant champion can be laying bleeding and unconcious his career finished.
I love the variety of styles, defensive masters, brawlers, one punch KO artists.
Some great writers have written about this sport more than any other I think.
The boxers themselves, many uneducated have said wise things that philosophers would like to call their own. I love the wit of an Ali, Pep or even Cobb.
I think if you bought a caveman into present day and showed him a game of American Football, Soccor or baseball he would scratch his head. Show him a boxing match and he would instantly understand and pick a fighter to support it is the purest sport.
I think it has given races heroes to follow in hard times and countries a symbol to give them pride in their country.
Every day in these forums a fossilised old white english man like me can have a chat with a young black lad in America. We'll argue or agree but we will communicate when maybe normally we wouldn't give each other the time of day being from different nations, races and generations. Another strength of boxing is the sheer multi racial and multi countries that take part. To my American friends The world series isn't really a world series but boxing is worldwide.
Boxing is a guilty pleasure I am not blind to the damage that it does to the health of fighters. I have seen a lovely lad such as Johnny Owen be carried out of a ring dying and Michael Watson having his quality of life destroyed. It still makes me sad to see Ali these days and remember the young man he was.
I have watched promoters and managers get rich off the backs of naive fighters while the fighters make little and fight on far too long to earn a pension. I have seen racism manifest itself behind a fighter who wishes no part of it I have seen corruption and sculduggary galore in boxing.
Like democracy there is an awful lot against boxing but for me it is one of the best things we have.
I was amused that it seems a concensus that everyone's father seems to indoctranate their son into boxing at between 7 and 9 I know mine did and I did too lol.
I suppose I should have a go at replying to my own question.
My first fight was Baksi v Freddie Mills at Harringay Arena when I was 7. It was a wonderful stadium not too far from home and I was privaliged to see some great great fighters there for the too few years it was open.
The Baksi Mills fight was a slaughter, Baksi a big HW for the time totally destroyed Mills at best a smallish LHW. But I was fascinated by the power of Baksi and the courage of Mills. It was obvious from very early that Mills had no chance but he bustled out at the start of every round into an inevitable beating. Even though he was getting the granny beaten out of him there was a dignity to Mills the fact that he can't win but will not give up and would sooner die than quit. Be carid out on his shield so to speak.
From then I was pretty much hooked
In the 60 years I have followed boxing I have only ever seen a handful of cowards. These men risk their lives and health to earn for their families and for our entertainment so I cringe when they are called cowards.
I enjoy the mutual respect fighters have for each other, they may hate each other and have had feuds that lasted years but after they have retired many only speak well of each other.
I love the history of the sport, I struggle to remember the order of Kings and Queens, Prime ministers and presidents but I can rattle off HW champions in double quick time
In tennis another one against one sport you will see a slow decline, a dominant player will start to drop a set against a player he would have blitzed the year before.
In boxing a career can be finished in minutes a dominant champion can be laying bleeding and unconcious his career finished.
I love the variety of styles, defensive masters, brawlers, one punch KO artists.
Some great writers have written about this sport more than any other I think.
The boxers themselves, many uneducated have said wise things that philosophers would like to call their own. I love the wit of an Ali, Pep or even Cobb.
I think if you bought a caveman into present day and showed him a game of American Football, Soccor or baseball he would scratch his head. Show him a boxing match and he would instantly understand and pick a fighter to support it is the purest sport.
I think it has given races heroes to follow in hard times and countries a symbol to give them pride in their country.
Every day in these forums a fossilised old white english man like me can have a chat with a young black lad in America. We'll argue or agree but we will communicate when maybe normally we wouldn't give each other the time of day being from different nations, races and generations. Another strength of boxing is the sheer multi racial and multi countries that take part. To my American friends The world series isn't really a world series but boxing is worldwide.
Boxing is a guilty pleasure I am not blind to the damage that it does to the health of fighters. I have seen a lovely lad such as Johnny Owen be carried out of a ring dying and Michael Watson having his quality of life destroyed. It still makes me sad to see Ali these days and remember the young man he was.
I have watched promoters and managers get rich off the backs of naive fighters while the fighters make little and fight on far too long to earn a pension. I have seen racism manifest itself behind a fighter who wishes no part of it I have seen corruption and sculduggary galore in boxing.
Like democracy there is an awful lot against boxing but for me it is one of the best things we have.
Poet
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